The Kind of Freedom
by olivehuntress
Summary: Thalia's backstory and her progression as she grows up.


The Kind of Freedom...

A.N: **To anyone who reads this,**

 **Firstly, I am not claiming that this is good, i am just a very poetic person who can't write poetry, so it ends up in fanfiction instead. This is the first fanfiction that I have actually published, and I typed it up on my phone so I apologise for any spelling mistakes that I didn't catch while proof reading. Please review and tell me what you think, thank you!**

Thalia Grace had been trapped in her old life with her mother. Just trying to protect herself and Jason from her mother's madness, and learn to look after them both. It was strange, being trapped of her own free will, when she could easily have left at any time, if only she'd either the heart to leave Jason behind, or the ability to care for a eighteen month old baby single-handedly. Unfortunately, she possesed neither of those things, so she stayed where she was, for his sake. So, when she finally bolted, without the responsibility of him, it felt good. Different. Free.

It was the kind of freedom that came from courage . The courage to leave everything that she knew, and start over. For the first few months it was so very difficult, so near impossible to find food, and she was continually getting attacked by random people and animals that no one else seemed to pay attention to, and vice versa, but they came for her blood. For a while, she escaped by running, and occasionally throwing the most lethal looking object she could find at whatever spots - as she quickly learnt - made the aboritions back off the fastest. She continued in this method unril she got pretty good at the old "Whack 'em over the head with a stick and run" technique. For almost a year she survived like this, stealing from the bins outside shops, until one morning, everything changed. She woke up at 3am, as usual - so that she could move on before there were too many people around to question the dirty, bedraggled looking teenager wandering the streets without any adults - to find a package beside her. Tearing it open, she found an ordinary looking silver bracelet, a strange canister, and a note. The objects seemed kind of wierd and unconnected, so she decided to start with the note.

"Thalia Grace,

You have done well to survive over the past year, so it had been decided that you are worth the trouble. There are some important things that you should know.

First off, the Greek gods are real, and so are the monsters from the old stories. The reason you are being informed of this is that you are the daughter of one of them, and not just any of them - Zeus, the king of the gods! This means that you should have some powers, which, should you master them, could seriously help you to stay alive.

The other important notice concerns the other items in this package. The bracelet will transform into a shield which will both protect you from missiles, and frighten away enemies due to the horrific image engraved on it. You can cause the shield to unfold by slapping the bracelet while it is on your wrist. The mace canister is also a powerful weapon, especially when combined with your inherited abilities. It will expand into a spear which will conduct electricity well, and can also be used to defend yourself from the monsters that will attack you.

Good luck, and may the fates smile upon you,

Hermes, messenger of the gods"

It was a lot to take in, but Thalia was a quick adapter. Naturally, the information shocked her, but she was resourceful enough to absorb it, taking whatever facts could help her on board. She slipped the bracelet onto her wrist, and the canister into her old backpack, and continued on her way, feeling like maybe it would be alright. Feeling free.

It was the kind of freedom that came from strength. The strength to do what was needed, and hit the ground running. It would have been an overstatement to call her life after that "easy", but equipped with weapons, and a means to protect herself, she was no longer in danger of death at each turn (or at least not _every_ turn). Understanding what on earth was going on helped too, as she now knew that the beings that assulted her were monsters, and had been able to do some research. Sneaking into libraries without a library card wasn't simple, but boy, had it every helped to be able to put a name on what she was facing, and have some background information as top how others of its species had been defeated before. She could then apply that knowledge to attempting to do it again. It didnt take long before she realised that she could do it. She could make it on her own. She was free.

It was the kind of freedom that came from home. A person, or a place that you could always come back to, however long you were away, and they would always be there. Constant, unchanged. Thalia had never really had that, feeling trapped with her mother, and being constantly on the move for the last few years. Meeting someone new had never been easy for her, and she was slow to trust, but sometimes desperate times call for desperate measures. A dragon's cave isn't a traditional place to meet a new partner, but fighting for your life doesn't leave much choice. They had fought together, and survived together, and the next couple of months brought companionship, followed by friendship, followed by love? There was certainly something, something that made her willing to give her life for Luke. He had also known, and come to terms with his heritage (a son of Hermes), so he was a tiny piece of the world that they were unwillingly part of, and they could share their backstory, and their secrets. This tiny piece was the closest she had ever come to a home. A life with Luke would not have been bad, in fact it would have been good, and safe in that knowledge, Thalia was free.

Years, and many ordeals later, she was in a completely different situation. Stripped of her home, but not her strength or her courage she wasnt utterly trapped, but free would have been an overstatement. She didn't want to be a good little camper, because camp life didn't suit her, she needed to keep moving forward. The Hunters of Artemis had found her once before, but then, she'd had all the freedom she'd needed. Now, looking for an escape, they seemed perfect. Her sisters were her home, her strength lay in hunting, and her courage was used daily. She was at more liberty than she had ever been before. Thalia ( no Grace) was totally free...


End file.
